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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — A prominent Southern Baptist pastor is defending his church against charges that it did not correctly handle a sexual abuse allegation against a staff member.

“We are an imperfect church with imperfect people,” Matt Chandler, pastor of the Village Church in Texas, told a group of Southern Baptists at their annual convention Tuesday.

“I make mistakes. I am painfully aware of my limitations, of the weaknesses of the Village Church, of our failures. They are numerous. I don’t think I’m naïve to that. But when it comes to reporting as soon as we had heard, taking our cues from the detective and family, I’m not sure what we could have done different.”

Chandler and the Village Church are under fire for how they handled a case of sexual abuse.

On Monday, The New York Times published an article featuring Christi Bragg, whose daughter was molested by an associate children’s minister at the church.

In the article, Bragg criticized the way Chandler and his church handled the allegations, saying she believed they were trying to protect the church more than her daughter.

Matthew Tonne, the former associate children's minister, has since been arrested and charged.

Chandler declined repeated requests for an interview with The New York Times and the church did not answer detailed questions, according to the article, although they did provide the newspaper with a statement.

'We did the best we could'

Pastor’s network Baptist21 announced Monday that Chandler would leave his sabbatical to address the article at a lunch event at the convention in Birmingham, where issues of sexual abuse are dominating the discussion.

The author of the New York Times investigation tweeted that she would be in the room to hear Chandler Tuesday.

Update: @MattChandler74 has decided to interrupt his sabbatical and come speak to Southern Baptists to address my reporting. He has declined my repeated requests for an interview, or to answer my detailed questions. I will be there. https://t.co/ioEE6cP1fN

There, Chandler defended the church’s actions. “We just did the best we could” to care for a victim of sexual abuse and her family, Chandler said during the panel discussion.

He said they took their cue from police when it came to not releasing Tonne's name.

“As I’ve seen some of the criticism of how we’ve operated here, the primary criticism seems to be that we should’ve released the name, but I’m not quite sure how that conversation was supposed to go,” Chandler said.

In the article, Bragg lays out other concerns: that the Village never took responsibility for her daughter’s abuse, that they offered dates weeks or months in the future when she asked for meetings, that they never thoroughly informed families in the congregation and that she never had a conversation with Chandler.

Even when the case became public and charges were listed online, the church still did not name Tonne, according to the article.

'Common errors' made by Chandler's church

On a Monday night panel on sexual abuse, survivor Rachel Denhollander used the church’s actions as examples of “common errors.”

Denhollander was the first of USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar’s victims to come forward.

“It was reported to the police, which was a very positive step, but then they made a very critical mistake, and their critical mistake was when they announced to the church what had happened, they did not identify the abuser, they did not identify the exact type of crime that had occurred, and they stated that the person had no access to children in the Village Church, without informing the congregation that they had been on staff and did have access up to that point to children in the church,” Denhollander said.

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J. D. Greear, president of the Southern Baptist Convention, becomes emotional while talking about sexual abuse within the SBC on the second day of the SBC's annual meeting on Wednesday, June 12, 2019, in Birmingham, Ala. Greear blamed the crisis on years of cover-ups. He praised a new anti-abuse curriculum being offered to all SBC churches and seminaries, and he said the SBC must do better in screening potential pastors. (Jon Shapley/Houston Chronicle via AP) Jon Shapley, AP

Bill Golden, and thousands of others, hold up copies of a training handbook related to sexual abuse within Southern Baptist churches during a speech by SBC President J. D. Greear on the second day of the SBC's annual meeting on Wednesday, June 12, 2019, in Birmingham, Ala. Greear has apologized for the sexual abuse crisis besetting his denomination and outlined an array of steps to address it. ( Jon Shapley/Houston Chronicle via AP) Jon Shapley, AP

The president of the Southern Baptist Convention, J.D. Greear, is shown on a video screen as he addresses the denomination's annual meeting in Birmingham, Ala., on Wednesday, June 13, 2019. Greear apologized for the sex abuse crisis besetting his denomination and outlined an array of steps to address it. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves) Jay Reeves, AP

J. D. Greear, president of the Southern Baptist Convention, becomes emotional while talking about sexual abuse within the SBC on the second day of the SBC's annual meeting on Wednesday, June 12, 2019, in Birmingham, Ala. Greear has apologized for the sexual abuse crisis besetting his denomination and outlined an array of steps to address it. ( Jon Shapley/Houston Chronicle via AP) Jon Shapley, AP

Joel Miller, a missions and outreach pastor, prays on the second day of the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting on Wednesday, June 12, 2019, in Birmingham, Ala. The president of the Southern Baptist Convention has apologized for the sexual abuse crisis besetting his denomination and outlined an array of steps to address it. ( Jon Shapley/Houston Chronicle via AP) Jon Shapley, AP

Amanda LaRue, front left, and her husband John Michael LaRue, front center, a senior pastor from Miamisburg, Ohio, sing along to praise music on the second day of the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting on Wednesday, June 12, 2019, in Birmingham, Ala. The president of the Southern Baptist Convention has apologized for the sexual abuse crisis besetting his denomination and outlined an array of steps to address it. ( Jon Shapley/Houston Chronicle via AP) Jon Shapley, AP

Dick Lane, from left, Al Jackson and his wife Kem Jackson pray on the second day of the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting on Wednesday, June 12, 2019, in Birmingham, Ala. "The reason we're here is because we trust Jesus," his wife Kem Jackson said. The president of the Southern Baptist Convention has apologized for the sexual abuse crisis besetting his denomination and outlined an array of steps to address it. ( Jon Shapley/Houston Chronicle via AP) Jon Shapley, AP

Jennifer Weed, left, and Nisha Virani demonstrate outside the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting Tuesday, June 11, 2019, during a rally in Birmingham, Ala. The "For Such a Time as This" protest called for a change in the way the SBC views and treats women and demanded action to combat sexual abuse within the establishment. Julie Bennett/AP

Russell Moore, with the SBC Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, speaks during a sexual abuse panel discussion at the annual convention of the Southern Baptist Convention in Birmingham, Alabama, on June 10, 2019. Michael Clevenger/Courier Journal

J.D. Greear, from left, president of the Southern Baptist Convention, Ronnie Floyd, president and CEO of the SBC executive committee, and Mike Stone, chairman of the executive committee, pray during an executive committee plenary meeting at the Southern Baptist Convention on Monday, June 10, 2019, in Birmingham, Ala. Jon Shapley/Houston Chronicle via AP

David Platt, former president of the International Mission Board and a current pastor at McLean Bible Church in Virginia, speaks at the Pastor's Conference at the Southern Baptist Convention on Monday, June 10, 2019, in Birmingham, Ala. ( Jon Shapley/Houston Chronicle via AP) Jon Shapley, AP

David Platt, former president of the International Mission Board and a current pastor at McLean Bible Church in Virginia, speaks at the Pastor's Conference at the Southern Baptist Convention on Monday, June 10, 2019, in Birmingham, Ala. ( Jon Shapley/Houston Chronicle via AP) Jon Shapley, AP

David Platt, former president of the International Mission Board and a current pastor at McLean Bible Church in Virginia, speaks at the Pastor's Conference at the Southern Baptist Convention on Monday, June 10, 2019, in Birmingham Ala. ( Jon Shapley/Houston Chronicle via AP) Jon Shapley, AP

David Platt, former president of the International Mission Board and a current pastor at McLean Bible Church in Virginia, speaks at the Pastor's Conference at the Southern Baptist Convention on Monday, June 10, 2019, in Birmingham, Ala.( Jon Shapley/Houston Chronicle via AP) Jon Shapley, AP

Chandler confirmed that he did not lead care for the victim and her family, saying two elders did so since the family attended a campus 25 minutes away from his office.

According to the article, the church removed Tonne from the staff shortly after learning his name from the Braggs, saying he was removed for an alcohol abuse problem.

“We fired him for alcohol abuse because you can’t be an associate children’s minister who continues to get drunk,” Chandler said Tuesday, not addressing whether the removal had anything to do with the abuse allegations.

He also noted that the church and the detective assigned to the case had a meeting with the parents of children at the camp where the alleged abuse occurred.

“I was dealing with it not just as a pastor, but as a dad,” Chandler said. “My oldest daughter was a cabin away from where this incident, alleged incident took place.”

Chandler also told attendees that in responding to abuse, churches need “to try to love those who have been abused” and seek outside counsel. He referenced MinistrySafe, whose leaders are also the church’s legal advisers, according to The Times article.

Ultimately, Chandler said he is “desperate” for his church to be a safe place for victims.

“I’m not here to save face. I’m here because I don’t want you to think we don’t need to be serious about these things. We should be courageous about these things,” Chandler said. “We’re not navigating it perfectly, but we’re doing the best we know how.”

Katherine Burgess covers county government, religion and the suburbs. She can be reached at katherine.burgess@commercialappeal.com, 901-529-2799 or followed on Twitter @kathsburgess.